Somehow, Brett Favre is still in the news. And somehow, we're not surprised.
We've had a week's worth of reaction to Favre's perceived slight of current Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Some believe Favre was simply paying Rodgers a compliment by saying he expected his former backup to win a Super Bowl sooner. Others view it as a malicious shot. Favre himself told USA Today on Friday that he was "surprised" at the backlash and said he was "very gracious and complimentary of the Packers and Aaron Rodgers."
Rodgers took the high road through the whole potential public-relations minefield, even putting a positive spin on his connection with Favre that he admits will never go away.
But there's always Rodney Harrison. The ... errr, outspoken ... Harrison isn't on the high road when it comes to Favre.
"What purpose does it serve for (Favre) to come out at this point in time and become critical of a guy who is a true class act?" Harrison said Friday on NFL Network's "NFL Total Access." "Both of these guys won Super Bowls at age of 27. I'll guarantee you this: If Rodgers plays another 12 years, he'll win another Super Bowl."
If Favre truly is surprised by the backlash over Rodgers, he might want to take a note of where Harrison went next. Responding to the idea that Favre isn't completely over how things ended in Green Bay, as well as his reluctance to be supportive as Rodgers' mentor, Harrison let 'er rip.
"All that sounds good, but at the end of the day, Favre is a player-hater," said Harrison, a hard-hitting safety who spent 15 seasons in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots. "He's completely jealous of Rodgers. Those fans in Green Bay treated Favre right. The media treated Favre right. He has no reason at all to be such a bitter, old man.
"Embrace this young man, compliment him. That's what he deserves. I can see if Rodgers was a jerk. He's not. He's a class act. He's a humble individual. We need more guys like this representing our league on a day-in, day-out basis."
Whew. Harrison dropped a "player-hater" on Favre. As far as Harrison is concerned, Favre has to sleep in the same bed he made.
"Let's not forget about Favre. He left because he wanted that," Harrison said. "He went to Minnesota, within that division. He wanted that. He went to the Jets. He's a guy who always wanted the attention, he's a selfish guy. That's Favre's nature. We understand that, we know that."
Harrison said Favre's former Jets teammates referred to the quarterback as a "prima donna" who had his own set of rules and didn't associate with the rest of the team.
Harrison then left some words of wisdom for Rodgers.
"Let's not get it twisted about Favre," Harrison added. "He's jealous, he's a player-hater. Rodgers, keep doing your thing, don't let this guy get under your skin."
Harrison, unfortunately, doesn't leave much for us to say.
